<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Reading Out Loud by Shadowinflame</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24490996">Reading Out Loud</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowinflame/pseuds/Shadowinflame'>Shadowinflame</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>I blame the Rarepair Haven Discord for this [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Undertale (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bad Guys Poly (Undertale), Coffee, Crosstale Sans (Undertale), Dreamtale Nightmare Sans (Undertale), Dusttale Sans (Undertale), Fatherly Nightmare, Horrortale Sans (Undertale), Implied Relationships, Insomnia, Killer Sans (Undertale) - Freeform, Multi, Nightmares, Parental Dreamtale Nightmare Sans (Undertale), Reading, can be read as good friends, just a bunch of soft boys</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:41:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,421</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24490996</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowinflame/pseuds/Shadowinflame</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nightmare went to Killer's room to help him after a night terror.<br/>How did the rest of the gang end up in the same room again?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bad Gays Poly, Cross &amp; Dust, Cross &amp; Horror, Killer &amp; Nightmare, Sans &amp; Sans (Undertale), Sans/Sans (Undertale)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>I blame the Rarepair Haven Discord for this [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1757128</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>166</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Reading Out Loud</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/luminescent_forest/profile">Lumie</a> on the Rarepair Haven Discord mentioned, that reading out loud can help abused dogs and elderly patients. Then they had a long discussion on Nightmare reading to his gang without me (because f**k timezones, that's why) and after I read through it all once I managed to get out of bed I said I would write something like that.<br/>So, here it is!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nightmare was currently doing paperwork when he sensed the pang of negativity. And even if the guardian of negativity would normally enjoy the feeling, it was the last thing he wanted to sense in his castle. </p><p>He quickly located where it came from. Killer. That was the third time this week, and the week was far from over. In the blink of an eye his paperwork was abandoned as he picked up a book and went out of his room.</p><p>To say that any of his boys was especially bad on nights like these would be wrong. They all had their very own... self-destructive habits. But that was reason enough to worry. He only worried more with the negativity growing stronger, the closer he came to Killer's room.</p><p>He had to take a deep breath once he finally reached the door. As much as he wanted to just barge in, he had to accept the other's privacy. So he knocked.</p><p>“Killer? It's me, can I come in?”, he asked.</p><p>“N-night?”, came a raspy voice from inside the room. “Y-yeah.”</p><p>Satisfied with the answer, Nightmare opened the door and walked into the room.</p><p>Killer sat on his bed, his blanket wrapped around him. And he was... mindlessly playing with a knife.</p><p>Before he had even fully closed the door one of Nightmare's tendrils wrapped around Killers wrist while another gently took the knife out of his hand. </p><p>“You won't be needing that”, he said softly as he walked towards Killer's bed. He sat down next to him and loosely wrapped a tendril around the other. “Now, do you want to talk about it or should I just start reading right away?”</p><p>“J-just reading... for now”, Killer answered, leaning into Nightmare as soon as he opened the book.</p><p>Nobody knew when or how they started this, but somehow Nightmare reading to any of them when they had bad days.. or bad nights in most cases, just became a tradition. Nobody could explain themselves why, but it just soothed them. It helped them fall back into a sleep without dreams of any kind.</p><p>And Nightmare started reading to him. Though, Killer never really saw it as reading. It was something else, something so much better than just someone reading to him. It was something about the way Nightmare read, how he had that melodic tone that almost made it sound like he was singing. It didn't even matter what the book was about, Nightmare could read a book about gardening, for all he cared. He barely even heard the words, too focused on just the cadence of the other's voice. </p><p>It lulled him in and pretty soon he was already half asleep, resting his tired head on Nightmare's shoulder, the guardian's tendrils around him in a protective hold.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Cross was just walking through the halls of the castle in a last check up before going to sleep. But as he passed Killer's room he could hear the unmistakable sound of Nightmare's 'reading voice', how he used to call it. The voice that was preserved for bad nights, for sleepless nights or breakdowns in general.</p><p>He might not have had a particularly bad day, but somehow his legs wouldn't move any further. Something just kept him in front of Killer's door. He knew he shouldn't, that this was Killer's moment to relax and he probably wouldn't need Cross right now. So, he just sat down in front of the door, just listening without the others knowing.</p><p>He was just about to drift into a dreamless sleep when he heard someone walk past the door. Or.. not entirely past the door, because they stopped just a step beside him. Cross opened his eyes.</p><p>“Dust?”, he asked, giving the skeleton in front of him a questioning look.</p><p>Dust wore what could be considered his pyjamas. Which meant, he wore his usual shirt and pants, but his jacket was abandoned somewhere in his room. And he had a cup in his hand.</p><p>“He's... reading, isn't he?”, Dust asked, pointing to the door.</p><p>“Yeah, he is”, Cross answered.</p><p>“Why don't we go in?”</p><p>“Wha- are you crazy? Dust, what-”, Cross wanted to protest, but Dust somehow pulled him up with one arm and opened the door with his elbow. They more or less stumbled into the room.</p><p>Nightmare interrupted his reading to look at the new guests and Killer wearily opened his eyes again.</p><p>“I get it you want to join in on this reading session?”, Nightmare more stated than asked. </p><p>Cross and Dust nodded anyway.</p><p>“Which is fine by me and I am sure Killer has no problem with it either, but Dust”, Nightmare stared at the mug in Dust's hands. “If I go right in my assumption that you are all here because you want to sleep, I'd suggest exchanging that coffee for tea right now.”</p><p>“You didn't tell me that was coffee!”, Cross lashed out at Dust.</p><p>“You didn't ask”, Dust said, looking down into his mug.</p><p>“Well, that's coming with me, then!”, Cross angrily told him and snatched the mug out of Dust's grip. He was out of the door in seconds.</p><p>“Looks like someone's mad”, Killer commented as Dust sat down on the floor, leaning onto the bedframe.</p><p>“Hmm”, Dust hummed, pulling his knees up to his chest. He had a comforting tendril on his shoulder moments later.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Cross angrily stomped into the kitchen and just poured the coffee into the sink, then went on to clean the mug.</p><p>“Whoa, what's got you all worked up?”, he heard a voice from behind him. Cross turned around only to see Horror standing at the fridge. “And why are you dumping that coffee? Someone might have enjoyed it.”</p><p>“Just... give me a pack of that relaxing tea Nightmare got for us”, Cross sighed, starting the water kettle. “And tell me what you are doing at the fridge at a time like this.”</p><p>“So this is about Dust?”, Horror asked, taking a bite of a sandwich and closing the fridge.</p><p>“Hmm”, Cross agreed.</p><p>He heard Horror rummaging through some cupboards and shelves behind him, a little later he handed him a teabag.</p><p>“Thank you-”, Cross wanted to start, but was startled as the Horrortale skeleton placed another mug with a teabag in it next to him.</p><p>“Make yourself one too”, he said, hugging Cross from behind. “Your getting yourself worked up again. Nobody likes to see you like this. I bet Dust couldn't sleep even with this tea if he knew you're all upset again.”</p><p>“You're probably right”, Cross hummed, leaning into the hug while he waited for the water. “If he's walking around with coffee he's already upset enough anyway.”</p><p>Once the water was done Horror took it upon himself to pour it into the mugs. Then searched the cupboards again until he found the sugar. At the questioning look from Cross he said: “You know Dust won't drink this if you don't add a teaspoon of sugar, right?”</p><p>“I keep purposefully forgetting that”, Cross admitted. “He really shouldn't...”</p><p>While they waited for the tea to be done so they could dispose the teabags right on the spot Cross remembered that he hadn't told Horror what actually brought him here in the first place.</p><p>“Oh, yeah, Nightmare's reading in Killer's room”, he mentioned. “Dust and I wanted to join, but Nightmare noticed Dust had coffee before I did, so I came here to make tea. So, what I wanted to say was, would you like to join all of us, too?”</p><p>“Might as well”, Horror shrugged. “It's always nice to listen to him and having some company won't hurt any of us.”</p><p>Once the tea was done they went to Killer's room. Horror opened the door for Cross, then entered behind him.</p><p>“I see you brought Horror”, Nightmare said, looking up from his book to greet the newcomer. </p><p>“Wouldn't want to miss out on that”, Horror smiled as he sat down on the bed, on the other side of Nightmare.</p><p>“Cross, I'm-”, Dust started.</p><p>“I know”, Cross interrupted him, just pressing the mug in his hand. Then he sat down next to him and rested his head on Dust's shoulder. “Just drink your tea.”</p><p>Luckily, Nightmare had a tendril for each of his insomniacs and once he was happy with the arrangement he went back to reading.</p><p>And suddenly the whole room went silent - safe for the occasional clanking of teacups - getting filled with Nightmare's melodic voice while he softly read whatever book he chose today.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Once again probably not anywhere near what anyone though when they talked about this, but it's what I made out of it, so..<br/>Hope you enjoyed it?</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>